Operation Darius (Final) - Part 1 of 4

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About This File

"Operation Darius"forStrike Fighters 2

This package contains an overhauled version of the "Operation Darius" mod that was originally assembled by Wrench for a collaborative campaign project at CombatAce.com. The mod is based on a fictional scenario set in late 2012 which sees a coalition of Western nations conduct a four week air campaign to degrade Iran's nuclear development facilities.

This mod package should be installed to "Strike Fighters 2" (SF2) installations (or merged installs incorporating SF2) that include "Strike Fighters 2: Europe" (SF2E) and that are patched to the Mar2012 or later patch level. If you are running SF2 at an earlier patch level and do NOT intend to update to one of the later patch levels mentioned above, you should NOT install this mod package.

Note that this is a COMPLETE mod package. There is no need to install the original "Operation Darius" mod that was released by Wrench. Nor should you attempt to install it over the top of Wrench's version, as you could end up with a non-working install.

So, what's different about THIS version of "Operation Darius"? What makes it new and unique? Plenty of things. This version includes:

- three blue-side campaigns -- one w/ a ground war; two w/o a ground war- one red-side campaign -- w/o a ground war- new Iranian weapons, incl. AAMs, SAMs, & MRBMs- new Iranian ground objects, incl. mobile SAM launchers, static SAM launchers, AAA, tanks, APCs, ships, & MRBM launchers- two different versions of the IRIAF F-14A, one of which is equipped with the Sedjeel air-to-air missile (based on the Hawk)- dozens of new target areas, incl. SAM sites, MRBM sites, nuclear research sites, and uranium processing/enrichment sites- an overhauled terrain TYPES.INI to better prioritize targets in campaigns- a number of new aircraft, incl. the Rafale, Gripen, Turkish/Greek F-4s & F-16s, the Greek A-7E(H), a new J-7ME, the A-10C (w/ Spectre8750's cockpit), AV-8B Plus, F-35A, F-111C (Late), A310 MRTT, CF-18_07, & Su-30MKM- new menu screens (nothing radical)- plenty of fixes to just about every area of the mod to get things updated to SF2 standards and working correctly- support for new SF2NA features, incl. carrier battle groups, F-14A avionics, cruise missiles, and new mission types

This version also departs from Wrench's version in that some aircraft have been removed (F-4E_86, AT-6B, the AlphaJets, excess C-130s & Mirage 2000s, and a few others) in addition to plenty of other unnecessary cruft, incl. gigabytes of unused aircraft skins. (Even with all the removals, this mod is still on the large side.)

NOTE: this mod is distributed as set of FOUR 7zip archive files. If you did not download all four 7zip packages from CombatAce.com, then this mod will not work properly.

This mod does support installations that include "Strike Fighters 2: North Atlantic" (SF2NA), however, SF2NA is not required.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Update Notes~~~~~~~~~~~~

This mod package is a refreshed and updated version of the original version that was released in August 2012. It incorporates all the updates included in the "Update 1" package released on CombatAce in January 2013. It also includes further updates, fixes, and additions beyond what was included in the "Update 1" package. All told this refreshed version of the mod includes the following major additions to the "Operation Darius" mod package:

...plus numerous other fixes, updates, and skin additions to dozens of aircraft and ground objects.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Installation~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before installing this mod package, please ensure the installation of "Strike Fighters 2" and "Strike Fighters 2: Europe" that you intend to use is updated to at least the Mar2012 patch level. The latest patches for Strike Fighters 2 can be downloaded from ThirdWire:

Also, please be aware that the mod requires "Strike Fighters 2" (SF2) as well as "Strike Fighters 2: Europe" (SF2E). This mod can be installed to SF2 installations that incorporate "Strike Fighters 2: North Atlantic" (SF2NA). If SF2NA is part of your target install base, there are some additional items for you to install.

The main installation process consists of three main steps -- or, four if your target install base incorporates SF2NA. Please read the following instructions carefully and follow them religiously. If you wind up with a non-working mod install, then you likely failed to follow the instructions properly.

This mod requires a separate mod folder. Please do not attempt to install this mod over or combine it with other mods such as NATO Fighter 4+, "Operation Desert Storm," or the SF2V Expansion Pack.

- Open your SF2 Installation directory and make a copy of StrikeFighters2.exe or StrikeFighters2 NorthAtlantic.exe (if your target install base includes SF2NA). Rename the copied .EXE file to StrikeFighters2_OpDarius.exe (or whatever unique name you prefer).

- Run the newly copied and renamed .EXE file, then exit back out to the Windows desktop after navigating through a few menus. A custom Mod Folder for your "Operation Darius" mod install will have been created in one of these locations:

- Unpack the four "Operation Darius" archive packages to a temporary location on your hard drive.

- Move the contents of the \To_Mod_Folder directory from all four unzipped packages to your Mod Folder (created in Step 1 above). (Note: do not simply drag and drop the folder named "To_Mod_Folder" or you will end up with a non-working install.)

If you've moved everything correctly, you should have a new \Objects sub-directory in your Mod Folder, along with a few new other sub-directories.

Just below the "Instant Action" section is the "Single Mission" section. At minimum you should change the EndYear= statement to 2012 or higher. I recommend setting the StartYear= and EndYear= as follows:

StartYear=2003EndYear=2020

Finally, a little further down you should find the "Campaign" section. Replace it with the following:

This last step is for those whose install base include "Strike Fighters 2: North Atlantic" (SF2NA). Included with this mod are a number of custom files that allow SF2NA users to enjoy some of the new functionality included with SF2NA, including:

- F-14A cockpits and avionics that use the new AvionicsF14A.dll included with SF2NA;

- Carrier battle groups in campaigns

- New mission types in campaigns, including Escort_Jamming missions for the EA-6B and EA-18G (AI only) as well as Early_Warning missions for the E-2C and E-3A.

TO INSTALL: drag and drop the contents of the \_For_SF2NA folder into your Mod Folder, allowing Windows to merge and overwrite any folders and files it prompts to.

* * * * *

THAT'S IT. Your ""Operation Darius" mod for SF2 should now be ready to use. Please read the following section for more information on the campaigns included with this mod.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Optional Installs~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This mod package includes several optional aircraft that you can isntall, provided you have the models to support them (the models are available from ThirdWire or the A-Team.

A. Tomcats

Included in the \_Optional folder are files to support the installation of two new versions of Iran's F-14 Tomcat. Both versions require DLC #27 (F-14A Tomcat, Iranian Air Force) from ThirdWire's DLC store:

2. Copy or move the F-14A_Iran and F-14A-Iran aicraft from the \_Optional folder to your OpDarius Mods Folder.

These two DLC-based Tomcats will replace the default F-14s used in the campaigns (though they can be installed alongside the default F-14s, which use Mirage Factory models).

B. Seahawks

Included in the \_Optional folder are files to support the installation of two new helicopters -- the HH-60H and MH-60S, which are custom mods by JimBeamer5 of Seahawk models available from the A-Team's web site at:

Note that you MUST download the original packages that contain the LOD files (models) from the above site (which requires you to apply for access) in order to use these aircraft. You will need to download two different packages from the A-Team's site:

3. Copy the .LOD files from each package you downloaded to the appropriate aircraft folders in the \_Optional\Objects\Aircraft directory.

4. Once you've added the LOD files to the aircraft folders, you may install the aircraft and accompanying decals from the \Optional directory to your OpDarius Mods Folder.

These optional helicopters are used by several USN squadrons in the new alternate OpDarius campaign. If these aircraft are not installed, the game will default to using the SH-3D -- which is not historically accurate but will at least give you flying helos for those squadrons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A Note on the Included Campaigns~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This mod includes three different campaigns:

1. OpDarius - a blue side campaign without a ground war. Primary focus for the campaign is bombing Iranian nuclear and military sites. If your primary interest is flying strike, SEAD, or air-to-air missions, this campaign is your best option.

2. OpDarius (alt) - a variant of the original OpDarius campaign (described just above), but with a more restricted Blue-side order of battle, as well as the following changes:

This OpDarius alternate version is designed to take full advantage of features introduced in SF2NA -- if you play it with an isntallation that includes SF2NA.

3. OpMarathon - a blue side campaign with a ground war. The only units tasked with CAS missions, though, are the A-10C, AH-64D, and AV-8B units. If you want CAS missions, you need to select one of those units. The ground war consists of border skirmishes along the Iran/Iraq border, not a full-fledged invasion of Iran. Still, a very engaging campaign.

4. OpShamshir - a red side campaign without a ground war. Undoubtedly the most challenging campaign. It'll probably take you a while to develop tactics that allow you to survive more than a few missions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A Note for SF2NA Users~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have SF2NA as part of your install base and go ahead and install the files to support SF2NA features like carrier battle groups, you'll notice the that LCC-19 and LPD-4 ground objects have been disabled (you can find them in \Objects\GroundObject\_disabled). There is a good reason for this.

The SF2NA game engine will, by default, generate two battle groups when you fly game-created Single Missions: one carrier battle group to support naval aircraft; a second battle group that includes the two amphibious ships (LCC-19 and LPD-4). This second battle group will be automatically positioned at some distance behind the main battle group. Given the narrow confines of the Persian Gulf, this auto-positioning often results in the second battle group being placed on land (depending on wind direction for the mission).

I can assure you that nothing kills the immersive quality of the game quite like the sight of U.S. Navy amphibious ships ploughing across a desert landscape. Definitely something no player wants to see, esp. after a long and otherwise satisfying mission.

Unfortunately, this behavior appears to be hard coded, meaning that the only way I've found to stop the game from generating a second battle group on land is to remove the LPD-4 and LCC-19 from the game altogether.

Please note that this behavior is a factor only in Single Missions, not campaigns, as none of the campaigns include the LPD-4 or LCC-19 in a carrier battle group.

For this mod most third-party (i.e., non-stock) anti-ship missiles have been converted to use the ASM/cruise missile functionality introduced w/ SF2NA. At the same time, the older versions of these missiles have been preserved, as the new ASM cruise missiles can be used by AI only against ships.

So, for many anti-ship missiles you will now find two versions:

1) "Standard" guided version

These versions are the "old" style missiles setwith WeaponDataType=1. They can be used by AI against land and sea targets. These missiles retain their familiar names (e.g., AGM-84D Harpoon, Kh-59M Ovod, etc.).

2) ASM/cruise missile version

These versions utilitize the new cruise missile functionality set by WeaponDataType=7. They can be used by AI only against ships. These versions can be distinguished by their names:

At the same time aircraft that typically carry these missiles have been updated to accommodate the ASM versions. Loadouts for these aircraft have been updated to use ASM versions by default for Anti-Ship, Naval_Attack, and Cruise_Missile loadouts.

AI pilots in Strike Fighters have long had problems employing LGBs. AI pilots in the player's flight can drop LGBs, but will treat them as dumb bombs. AI pilots in flights not controlled by the player (i.e., AI-only flights) cannot use LGBs at all, and will typically get stuck circling the target.

To address this problem I have created EOGB versions of all LGBs for AI pilots to use (AI pilots have no problems with EOGBs for some reason). These AI versions are identical in all respects to the LGB versions save for the Guidance Type, which is set to "Electro-Optical Guided" instead of "Laser-Guided."

By default aircraft that use LGBs for certain loadouts (usually Stike, Attack, SEAD, or Anti-Ship) are loaded with these AI (EOGB) versions instead of the LGB versions. You should make it a habit to check the Loadout screen and switch the bomb version on your own aircraft to the LGB version.

You can distinguish between the AI (EOGB) and LGB (Player) versions by the weapon name -- for example:

Credit for the original "Operation Darius" mod package goes to USAFMTL, Wrench, and the team of modders that contributed to that campaign collaborative project on CombatAce.com. To peruse the discussion surrounding the original "Operation Darius" project, see this thread: